The best places in America for kids to grow up — and the biggest gains are coming in red states

Four red states are leading the pack when it comes to improving the lives of children since the COVID pandemic, according to a new report.

South Carolina saw the biggest overall improvement in child well-being between 2019 and 2024, according to the 2026 “Kids Count” study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The other major gainers were Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky and New Mexico.

The Palmetto State experienced a 38-point jump in its overall childhood well-being score — which includes 16 factors like premature deaths, low birth weight, educational proficiency and poverty rates.

South Carolina—which voted 58 to 40% in favor of President Trump in 2024— was one of only three states that did not see a decline in its education ranking since 2019, the data shows.

Educational attainment remained stable in South Carolina, while improving in only two states: deeply red Louisiana and Mississippi — both of which have been lauded for making bigger gains in reading and math scored than their far richer cousins in the Northeast.

Despite the significant gains, overall outcomes for children are still highest in wealthy states. The Deep South has some of the lowest scores.

New York comes in at no. 30, California is no. 33 out out of 50 states, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s list.

New York saw a decline in its childhood well-being score, while California was flat between 2019 and 2024.

The report shows that many of the most improved states for childhood well-being are in the Deep South, which have also seen a greater educational and economic recovery compared to their northern counterparts.

“While a majority of states with the lowest overall scores are in the South, trends from 2019 to 2024 show that Southern states achieved the greatest gains of any region in the country,” according to the report.

Among the 15 states that saw an improvement in child well-being between 2019 and 2024, eight of them were in the South, led by gains in South Carolina, Louisiana, and Kentucky.

Heavily red Kentucky also saw strong gains in economic well-being and education, strengthening its status as one of the most improved states.

Mississippi saw improvements in family and community, economic well-being, and education.

The Magnolia State is now ranked 16th in education nationwide, with the report highlighting the strong gains bucking the nationwide trends since the pandemic.

“Mississippi made noteworthy progress for kids from 2019 to 2024,” the report states. “Several actions contributed to the state’s higher ranking and progress in Education, including passing the Literacy-Based Promotion Act focused on reading proficiency by third grade and making consistent investments in public schools.”

The “Mississippi Miracle” is now grabbing the attention of so-called progressive states, including California.

Of the five states highlighted for their improvements between 2019 and 2024, only New Mexico voted for Kamala Harris in the last presidential election.

The state saw significant improvement in economic well-being, while it was also highlighted for expanding the state child tax credit in 2023.

The report shows that Northeastern and Midwestern states saw the largest overall declines during the five-year time period.

Maine saw the biggest drop in child well-being since 2019, followed by four Midwestern states: Nebraska, North Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota.

 North Dakota, Maine, Delaware, Iowa, and Oklahoma saw the steepest losses in educational attainment.

Maine also saw the greatest decline in child health outcomes, while there were strong improvements in Virginia, Indiana, and New Jersey.

Nationwide, the data “shows a mixed and uneven picture of child well-being,” according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

While there were reductions in teen births and child poverty, reading and math proficiency declined between 2019 and 2024 under former President Joe Biden.

The data also shows that 29 states saw overall declines in well-being since 2019.